Trust growing on Bruins' top defensive pairing of Chara, Hamilton

Tuesday

Apr 15, 2014 at 7:19 PMApr 16, 2014 at 8:36 PM

This season was the first extended time Chara and Hamilton were partners.

By Dan CagenDaily News staff

BOSTON — One of Dougie Hamilton's first games as Zdeno Chara's defensive partner this season was Nov. 5 on Long Island.It did not go well.Johnny Boychuk didn't make the trip with a back injury. Hamilton was bumped up to play with Chara on the No. 1 pairing.The Islanders had a vicious top line of Kyle Okposo, John Tavares and Thomas Vanek. Tavares and Vanek both scored in a 3-1 New York win, the last when Hamilton joined the offensive rush and gave Vanek the runway for an odd-man rush. Chara had to keep looking over his shoulder to make sure his 20-year-old partner wasn't goofing off.A shoot-first, ask-questions-later approach doesn't work on the top pairing, or as Chara's partner."It's different, playing against top lines," Hamilton said. "So it's something that I've had to get used to."Although they occasionally paired up last season when Hamilton was a 19-year-old rookie, this season was the first extended time Chara and Hamilton were partners."When we start playing with each other, it's like anything else — it's a relationship that you have to feel each other and kind of see what's going to be there," Chara said.Coach Claude Julien put the two together on a full-time basis after Dennis Seidenberg's season-ending knee injury in December. Although Julien won't confirm it, all signs point to Chara and Hamilton being the top pairing when the playoffs open Friday with Game 1 against the Red Wings.For the previous three postseasons, Chara and Seidenberg gave the Bruins a brawny weapon most teams couldn't match. They could go all season barely taking even-strength shifts together, come together at the beginning of April and look like an old couple finishing each other's sentences by the playoff opener.Chara and Hamilton needed the time together. Trust had to grow. Hamilton was always an offensive-minded defenseman, but that didn't fly anymore. Chara is the best at taking away space in a slower game, but at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, he can be exposed when he's forced to defend in transition, waterbug forwards zipping around him.Hamilton had to be smarter about jumping up and leaving Chara behind him. But to eliminate that from his game would be to diminish his skill set. Chara encouraged Hamilton to take his chances, but to do so wisely."I think it can't happen without that. You have to have confidence in your teammates that they're going to get the job done," Chara said.When the Bruins took Hamilton with the ninth pick in the draft three years ago, they projected a player who could become a No. 1 defenseman. Steps have been taken toward that this season. General manager Peter Chiarelli cites better defending, improved strength, stronger breakouts on in-tight plays and smoother skating."The biggest thing is his defending and his strength on the puck," said Chiarelli. "It's gotten so much better."With that has come increased faith from Chara. This season, Julien asked all his defensemen to be more aggressive pursuing the puck, to pinch and jump up if the situation called for it. Chara stayed back early in his partnership with Hamilton, not knowing if his partner would have his back.Now Chara will take the yellow light. The Bruins are more dangerous offensively because of it. Occasionally, though, Chara guesses wrong. The last time the Bruins faced the Wings, Chara pinched in on David Legwand in the third period. Legwand quickly directed the puck to Johan Franzen, who started a 2-on-1 with Gustav Nyquist on his left against Hamilton.The Bruins have a two-pronged rule for a defenseman guarding a 2-on-1 — deny the pass first, then if possible, take the shot away from the puck-handler. Hamilton dropped down and slid on his chest as a human shield for Franzen's passing lane to Nyquist, then in a helicopter-like motion, Hamilton extended his stick to strip Franzen of the puck."It's probably pretty easy to be exposed in that situation," Hamilton said. "Just an instincts play to take that away and that was the result."Hamilton slowly is proving his worth. He'll get a big test in the postseason, beginning by taking on Detroit's No. 1 line of Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk and Justin Abdelkader."It definitely helps when you can play with a guy and have chemistry with him," Hamilton said, "and we have that now."Dan Cagen can be reached at 508-626-3848 or dcagen@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanCagen.

Market Place

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, MA ~ 33 New York Ave., Framingham, MA 01701 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service